Interview with Sabra Lane on ABC AM

16 August 2017

REPORTER:

Minister, good morning and welcome to AM.

MINISTER:

Good morning, Sabra.

REPORTER:

How do you interpret Kim Jong-un’s decision to hold off on missile tests?

MINISTER:

Well I think the most important aspect of this is the exercise of what the US have called, in the article written by Secretary Tillerson and Secretary Mattis, strategic accountability. They have indicated that they will continue to maintain the pressure in relation to sanctions and other actions on North Korea in an endeavour to persuade them to cease their previously reckless behaviour. The response of the regime is one which contributes to a calmer analysis of the situation and one which I hope progresses into an environment where sanctions are having effect and where there can be a more effective analysis of what can be done.

REPORTER:

How confident are you that conflict can be avoided?

MINISTER:

Sabra, it doesn’t bear contemplation. Everything we are doing is directed at avoiding conflict and not just everything we in Australia are doing but our partners in the United States, as both secretaries have pointed out. It is about ensuring that we persuade the regime to observe the UN Security Council resolutions, which are directed at maintaining global peace. They have become a destabilising and a disruptive influence in the region and our efforts to persuade them of alternative courses are very important in that regard.

REPORTER:

Australia’s set to take part in US-Korean war games next week amid the growing tensions here. How provocative is that given the heightened tensions?

MINISTER:

These are, as I understand it, annual exercises and have been occurring for some time. Australia has played a small role itself since 2010 and I think we have just over two-dozen ADF members participating on this occasion. In their aspect it is essentially a desktop engagement. I think that given their regularity and given their history they should not be seen in any way as a provocative exercise.

REPORTER:

So they’ll be behind screens – not necessarily out there in the action?

MINISTER:

In relation to the members of the ADF, that is correct. In relation to the other parties in the exercise, of course that’s a matter for them.

REPORTER:

When was the last time that you spoke with your US counterpart Jim Mattis about North Korea?

MINISTER:

We speak regularly. We spoke about ten days ago in relation to a number of matters including this.

REPORTER:

What would the risk be of, you know, a misunderstanding here? North Korea said it would aim to fire a missile near Guam, the US has indicated that that would be viewed as a provocative action. What are the chances of a conflict occurring because of a miscalculation or simply a misunderstanding?

MINIISTER:

I don’t think it’s helpful to engage in a hypothetical of that nature. We are obviously very carefully monitoring and engaging in this process as a partner and ally of the United States, of South Korea, of Japan, and we see that the US is trying to use the mechanisms which are available to us through the United Nations Security Council, through engagement with China, which of course continues to have very significant leverage in relation to North Korea, to ensure that that doesn’t happen.REPORTER:

A parliamentary committee has just handed down a report into veterans’ suicide. One of the main recommendations is about trying to secure work experience for them outside the ADF, to enable a smoother transition into life outside Defence. What’s your message to men and women you send into battle about life after the service? Will you make this a priority?

MINISTER:

Well, indeed, we have already made significant progress on that and the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Initiative is a good example, which was launched late last year or earlier this year, one which has a number of significant corporations in Australia supporting it and participating in it. A couple I would just mention are Westpac and JP Morgan, just for starters. We are very engaged across the corporate world in encouraging businesses to participate in that process. We know, that we need to ensure that the men and women of the ADF, if they are choosing to transition from the ADF, whether they go into the veterans’ affairs space or choose to take another route, we know that they are overwhelmingly well-skilled, highly talented, extraordinarily strong, contributing Australians and we want to make sure we can support them in their engagement for whatever future they choose.

REPORTER:

How wise was it for the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, to blame New Zealand Labour for being involved in a conspiracy to bring down the Australian Government?

MINISTER:

Well I am not going to engage in a running commentary on the citizenship matters. What I would say though, is that we have indicated there are a number of questions that go to that status of members of all sides of politics. We think they should be examined. These matters are before the High Court and we’ll let the High Court processes take their course.

REPORTER:

Are you comfortable though, with that conspiracy line?

MINISTER:

We’ll let the High Court matters take their course, Sabra. I think that is the most important thing to do now. It is a difficult environment, absolutely. I’ve seen two colleagues in the Senate from the Australian Greens leave the Senate. I’ve seen other colleagues in the Senate self-refer and be referred to the High Court. It’s obviously a complex web of history and descent and inherited citizenship. I would like to see the High Court play this out.

REPORTER:

It’s unlikely to decide the issue quickly, though. How can the Government sustain a withering attack on this for months, when clearly it’s found the going very tough in the last 48 hours?

MINISTER:

I think I saw an indication this morning that matters will be considered relatively soon in fact, and I hope that the court is able to do that. But that of course is a matter for them. The Government will continue with the business that is its absolute priority. National security in my case, making sure that we are well placed in terms of defence to provide the support to the nation in counter-terrorism that comes from the changes we made recently, that we are engaging in the international debate in relation to North Korea, and ensuring that we pursue the sanctions that I’ve referred to and the peaceful options that we have to bring this to a resolution. All those things, which are the business of Government, are our priority and are what we are focussed on.